Many of us have been playing the game of school since we were young. You know it's being played when you have students completing assignments for the sake of passing and getting good grades, not giving a second thought about the importance of the information. Teachers breeze through the class curriculum for the sake of time and getting all the information out the students with little regard of whether or not they understand it. Administrators care about the outward appearance of the school and their own reputations, taking little notice the presence or lack of learning. There is one quote in particular that I really related to. "Waiting, in fact, is a major part of playing the Game of School: waiting for someone else to answer the question; waiting for someone else to take the initiative; waiting for the bell to ring; waiting for the day to end; waiting to graduate; waiting to retire" (Fried 98). Many of my memories from high school revolve around waiting. It would be impossible to list how many times I checked the time on my phone or stared at the clock, waiting for class to end to move on to the next one until the day was over. Everyone had the same goal: just get by. In fact, I played the game of school very well. I knew what information the teachers expected us to know. I knew what I had to do to get by and I did whatever it took. I've had countless teachers who have taught straight from the textbook just to assign a number of comprehension questions after for homework. This by the book teaching didn't foster any inspiration or interest in me as a student, and caused me to complete the assignments for the sake of getting it done. I looked around me as administrators cared more about what girls were wearing to school instead of focusing on what is being learned in the classroom (yes, leggings are actually banned from my high school now). I had a teacher who was so focused on his retirement at the end of the year that he rarely made an effort to come to class and instead left five or six problems from the chapter we were covering on the board to complete. I was conditioned to play the game, and I was good at it. Coming into college, I've realized this view of school as a game is unacceptable. I'm setting myself up for failure if I do the minimum to get by and graduate. How will I be prepared for my future life and career when I look back on my education as a game I beat? It's time for teachers, students, administrators and parents to take responsibility for the learning and well-being of children. School should be a safe haven, an environment that fosters learning and creativity and allows you to ask questions and formulate opinions. To get back to the reality of school and stray away from the game, teachers need to focus their class time and attention on making sure the students are comprehending the material, and aren't merely getting by. Students need to take initiative and responsibility for their learning, and realize that they are only hurting themselves if they don't put in a full effort. Parents need to be supportive of their children and take whatever means necessary to help them succeed. Administrators need to take their focus off of high test scores and their own appearnace and ensure that the school is a suitable learning environment for students. While not everything in school is doom and gloom, we still have a long ways to go. It's going to take a team effort to eliminate the game and reenter the reality.